When the katana came out I remember being super skeptical due it being the "new" thing to hype. But after a friend and I walked into the local shop and plugged into one with zero expectations, we were both pretty blown away. Now it's one of my main amps that I use; super versatile and really easy to dial in a very usable tone no matter what you're after!
It’s all a journey we have to travel to start as a beginner more to intermediate become an advanced player get professional then the final form turn into Marty
Thanks for this… I bought two katana MKII 100s (for stereo) about a year ago. I’m 65 years old -played professionally most my life right out of high school-including a couple tours with Bob James and Kirk Welham…bla bla bla lol… I’m just completely blown away by the boss katana. It is a modern masterpiece.
I have fond memories of my Katana. Pretty good tones, very customizable, light but loud, definitely got the job done. Was perfect for my apartment and light jamming sessions back in the day I sold it and went back to big tube heads ever since moving back to my own house but I’d definitely own one again if circumstances called for it.
I have two Katanas and owned three. I have a 50w and an Artist, both MKII. I sold my Artist MkI. I love these things and play them live often. I honestly don’t spend too much time on the Tone Studio, getting my desired tones almost always directly from the amp interface. I don’t have any external tone pedals (just a tuner, wireless and the Boss board). Parked a lot of amps and simplified my life with these. Great video
My favorite Katana sound is a clean one with a touch of modulation, lots of reverb, and a bit of delay. Works really well with my jazzmaster’s rhythm circuit.
I don't think you can beat them for the money they cost, and the number Boss have sold since they brought out this amp tells it's own story. They hit pay-dirt with this little masterpiece. I'm a fan!
I'm listening to UA-cam through my Boss Katana Air right now. I LOVE that I can just plug in and play along at any time just sittin' here at my desk. The built in effects are an excellent bonus. I love it so much that I just got the 100W HEAD to use on my 2x12! This should be fun :)
I purchased a Kantana 100MKII 2 weeks ago and it's one of my best buying decisions. The acoustic setting is warm and the sounds coming out of this amp are amazing and live up to the hype.
Katana 50 MkII user here. Great jazz amp. I’ve set up a channel with the Clean amp type, with the tone controls essentially flat. Works great with my carved spruce top archtop. I’m using it with the AirStep KAT, and I’ve configured three separate Booster effects for it. One is treble boost, the other two clean boost. The effects are subtle, as I want them. Just a bit more single line definition on one, and actually a drop in treble to make the sound darker on another. And then of course the Solo function can be used to kick each of them up a notch. I run the Volume knob up about 75%; this makes the sound full and rich.
@@benallmark9671they are referring to the Katana Head which has a 5inch monitor speaker built in, it does not have the 12 inch speaker of the 50 and 100 because it is meant to go into a separate speaker cabinet. The 5 inch monitor speaker sounds great at low volumes.
awesome! Since the Katana is entry/mid level priced AMP you should do a video of what guitar would go along well with it. Fairly priced but amazing sound! Keep up the good work!
As the second amp I've ever owned I can confirm the hype is real! I wish I had one of these when I first started learning guitar. Boss Tone Studio is also god-tier such a priceless feature! "A gamechanger" I completely agree Mike. For the price the amount of value you are getting is unreal.
I bought a boss katana 50 mkii for practicing in my apartment. But the real selling point was the acoustic guitar amp mode. I needed an amp for my acoustic, and this thing sounds great for both acoustic and electric guitars.
Dude, I’ve probably owned about 6 different amps my whole life and I just got the Katana and it has been *overall* my favorite amp. I have owned a couple of tube amps including a marshall and some modeling amps and I am blown away by this katana. It sounds pretty organic to me for a digital amp, the reverb is great and I love all the bells and whistles. I also have yet to fiddle with the online presents, however I’ll be doing that soon. I’m so glad I didn’t spend an arm and a leg for something that sounds pretty amazing for the price! My only critique so far is that the distortion isn’t as “hard” as I’d like it to be, however I am playing a standard tuning Fender Tele Player and Fender Pro 2 Strat. That’s one of the reasons why I want to fiddle with the online customization and see if I can get some pretty hard distortion for some metal playing and trying my buddies Ibanez.
I've been using a Katana 50 v1 for quite a while now (4-5 yrs maybe). It's plenty loud and takes pedals really well. I rarely use the drive settings (crunch, lead and brown) and have used numerous drive and distortion pedals to get that kind of sound. For an amp in that price range, it's the one to get, especially if you are on a budget.
I have a Boss Katana MK II 100 watt. I gigged with it last week. Definitely got the job done. I don't get too overloaded with settings. I downloaded a nice warm rich clean, A crunchy tone for rhythm and a distorted tone for some leads from the Boss Tone Central. That's all I really need. It way loud enough enough and the stock speaker is based on the Celestion Greenback. It's a fabulous amp. You can't go wrong with it.
I remember when this came out. I was skeptical, especially because the only other amps like this at the time were like Line 6 Spiders (which we all remember those). Like they weren't bad amps, but they weren't made especially well. That was the, and still is, one of my top criteria for amps. The quality of construction and materials make a huge difference for me. The Katana proceeded to blow away my expectations.
Appreciate the shoutout! You made the amp sound really good. My personal preference for lead tones is to use the clean or crunch amp with the Blues Driver (I believe that's the red button for the booster) or the DS-1 (orange button), rather than using the higher gain amp models. Also, I prefer pretty much all the amps with the variation switch on. Regardless, though, the number of great tones in here is absurd - especially for the money
Your comment highlights one of it's weaknesses - I can't remember what the settings are on mine either lol but it does sound flippin great when you've dialed it in right
Just picked one of these up a couple weeks ago. Quite impressed, I’ve got a couple different tube amps that aren’t getting used like they used to. Just feels more simple to use. Great vid!
As an old guy, I like the Katana because it is smaller, fairly light, and puts out a decent amount of power. Oddly, I rarely play it at home where a use lower wattage tube amps and a stupidly large array of pedals. I've got the 50 watt model and I got it when they first came out. To me it's jack of all trades that I use if I play out or (more often) in church every week. I find it a bit sterile and I find the the effects sectiion a bit limiting. However, it does pack condiderable punch which makes it a great grab and go amp.
I have a first issue 50w 1x12" combo. I use it for all gigs and with a footswitch, I can get four distinct, useable channels that my sound guy just loves out front. A 57 mic and I'm set! The tone and feel are great and the fact it weighs a small fraction of the stuff I used prior is a real cool plus. I was going to change out the speaker but changed my mind. The stock one is killing.The key to loving the Katana is as simple as hooking up to your computer and getting busy with Tone Studio. All the answers are in there and after setting up your channels, hook up the proper footswitch for your model and start melting faces. Everything from jazz to country to pop and hard rock are easily doable. My other guitarist picked up the 2x12" 100w combo and says his metal tone is sick! I believe him. Enjoyed the video! Rock On!
I owned a katana for a minute. I was initially blown away by the versatility/features for the price, and at lower volumes, the stock tones didn’t sound too bad. Over time though, I became frustrated with the (imo) flaws of this amp, namely the EQ. I found that if I set the EQ to eliminate harshness from the drive sounds, the cleans were dull and muddy. If I set up a brighter clean sound, the crunch/lead modes sounded shrill and unpleasant. So, my experience with the amp added up to a bunch of fiddling with EQ knobs and messing with the tone studio to get the sounds I wanted. This eventually got too frustrating, especially compared to the effortlessly good sounds I achieved plugging into my Bugera V22, or even my little 90s Fender frontman, let alone my more expensive Mesa Boogie. YMMV, of course, and I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but for my needs, the katana really didn’t cut it, which is a shame, because the built in effects, attenuator, size and weight were all major benefits.
I 've been playing guitar since I was 13. At 15 I was in a band and working clubs and all I wanted was a 100watt Marshall with two 4x12 cabinets - I ached for one - but the price - about 360 pounds then - was unreachable. Now I am 67, I can afford one, but wouldn't be able to carry it around and I'm not famous enough to have a roadie. I went through the Marshall combo experience - first the solid state, then the valves , but these could not be clean enough for some of the music I was playing - the answer was a Blackstar HT60 - which could go from acoustic glass clean to AC/DC - but - with two 12" speakers - was a bit hard on my hernia so it went and I played through the PA for a while. But I missed standing in front of an amp - so I bought a Katana 50 - best amp I've ever owned - all the tones I need, plus the programmability of it make it special. I had to modify the headphone socket to get a DI from it , but that little feller is a big beast in a tiny box and worth every penny paid for it.
i have the 100 mkII. i actually got feedback, nice harmonic feedback not screeching, out of the thing. i've never heard that from a digital amp before. cool.
I got the first katana 50 almost a year ago and love it , finally hooked up the boss tone studio app and good lord I had no clue!!! You can totally change all the parameters on the amp and write them in!!
I have a first generation Katana head and yeah, it’s pretty great! I have the four switches set up to simulate the channels of my hugging Marshall JVM 410 head and am quite happy with it to get the same footswitch practice when rehearsing songs at home
I'm on my third Kat. Started with the 100 mkII, sold it, kicked myself, then got an Artist in trade for a guitar I made. Sold that, kicked myself again because I thought I'd stay with the Boss GX100, also a great device, but missed that Kat. Now selling the GX100 and sticking to a Katana MKII Head and the GAFC-EX foot switch and an expression pedal as my main rig. Simple and sounds fantastic.
That’s actually a really great sounding amp. That Les Paul Tribute sounds really great through it. I’ve no need for one, but I’m a sucker for a maple necked Les Paul.
I bought my MK2 100 when they first became available. I'm completely incapable of loading the tone studio so I can't do updates or load any of the cool effects that are available, instead I run a small pedal board in front of mine. I have an Echo Sex delay and a line 6 Verbzilla that go into the effects loop. A Keeley 4 knob compressor, Wampler Equator eq and an EH Soul Food go into the front of the amp. I must say, it sounds exceptional and (feels) great to play. I'd put my tones up against (almost) anything. I like the light weight and compactness of the amp. It has also has allowed me to get rid of a few amps I had taking up space (some of them tube amps.) FYI, I never got the right feel out of the amp until I ran the external compressor. it's the first thing I plug into. Amazingly, most all products these days sound amazing as there is no room for or excuse for inferior tones or products. Digital has really improved to a point I would have though impossible not long ago. I really enjoyed the video.
For my small, portable, versatile, rig I'm using an old EV-5 expression pedal and HX Effects + Catalyst 100 in 4CM and MIDI to change the amp channels and turn the amp channel boost on/off. Works great. Cost under $1K new, with discounts. The HX Effects works great in front or in the loop of my Marshall Origin 50C, another compact rig...but I prefer the 50C without pedals (except an occasional EQ pedal).
I recently got a Fender Mustang GTX 100, I used to be a tube amp purist (I've owned vintage Fenders and Magnatones, no Marshalls) but with the different amps, the effects, no cables or power supply for pedals, less noise from the signal chain, this thing does a pretty good job. And I can control it with my phone. I would rather have a $10,000 rig but that's not in the cards, and this is really easy on the back (try lugging a Fender Twin with JBLs around) and mostly I use clean tones anyway so, yeah, I recommend it. And the footswitch is great, seven buttons, very well designed. For $500, you can't go wrong.
I LOVED my Katana100 MKI, but I am glad I got rid of it...and got the KATANA ARTIST MKII. The Waza Craft speaker makes ALL the difference in what was already a fantastic amp. The Waza speaker is like a 100 watt version of the 30w greenbacks and the depth and tight low mids and bass it provides is a real game changer. I rarely turn my tube amps on now!
honestly I think the catalyst sounds significantly better than the katana. Whenever I have to plug into a katana at a guitar store I’ve never enjoyed the sound, but I plugged into a catalyst once and actually really liked it tbh!
@@johnevered9640 with all the different guitars I have, I find that the catalyst brings them to life in their unique ways if that makes sense. My main practice amp is the Spark 40 and I pretty much use the same 4 tones for whichever guitar I feel like playing at that time and it's.. fun for sure but, the Catalyst, it's like it brings the guitars to life in the way they were meant to be played and how they should sound.
Great review. I was a hard core Deluxe reverb guy. Got a Katana 50 for home. Skip to today, sold my deluxe reverbs (prices were crazy) use my Katana at many gigs now and not regretting it. Now I won't say it sounds just as good but no one at my gig can tell except maybe me and the gear nerd in the corner.
I own the MKII head, and it's nothing short of incredible. Loud AF and sounds great. Get an Xsonic airstep footswitch and you can throw away (sell) the rest of your rig. It's just fantastic.
I love owning this amp, plus I grabbed a Tone pack from a talented tone creator a couple years ago. Endless practice fun for my room. Also not sure if you tried the variation button just above the amp type selector, I prefer it on with some of the choices. Brings some of them to life. Happy New Year Mike.
I've had the Katana 100 MkII head with 2x12 cab for about 3 years and I am still blown away with the tones I am able to pull out of this thing. There's also FB groups and many other resources to get patches to download that people have created to get very specific tones like Van Halen '78, various Metallica tones, clean tones for Pink Floyd etc. Overall it's an insanely fantastic amp that I can see me owning for years to come.
The tone studio download was maddening for me too. Lots of people complain about it. They should maybe address that because once you get it going, it's dope. I use a Nextone but it's similar in software madness.
The katana is my backup amp for gigs if my valve amp goes down just plug straight in and it’ll get me through. For a home amp there’s not much better especially for the money, my guitar teacher pretty much tells all his new learners to get a Pacifica and a katana 100, even when you get new better gear both will still be useable
When I got back into playing electric after a couple years I had to buy new gear and the Katana was what I bought for an amp and I have not upgraded. I'm just a hobbyist, but it does everything I need it to do. Great amp
I started off on a Vox VT120+, adored it - but wanted something a bit cleaner sound-wise. Ended up with a Vox AC15 - loved it but was too loud for my family home (they didn't appreciate me talking about "the sweet spot" while the windows were shaking) Boss Katana 100mk2 = PERFECTION. Bonus points it's always plugged into my PC right next to the Amp. Nothing against tubes, they are great for different reasons. I can rock this at 100w 50w or .5w - can change the master lvl up to rock with drums or down to chill at midnight. For anyone on the fence, if you have access to a PC for the tone studio (not needed, but it makes the amp so great) -- get this amp and you won't regret it.
Very good demo. I am looking for small amp with effects for mostly home. I was going to cheap out with Fender Champion 20 but for another 100 bucks the Katana is so much more (25/50 watt and 12”speaker alone) and small gig worthy.
I thought they were overrated at first but I tried one at a guitar center and it changed my mind. Now I have the head and matching 2x12! Sounds awesome and super reliable and easy to use!
Nice playing. I was too senile to figure out all the little buttons on the Boss Katana but I know people who make them sound amazing. I think you’d need to mic it through a PA to use it in a big room
Thats why the 100watt versions can be linked together for stereo ambience. I have two 212s and have no problem blasting peoples heads off, even on the .5 watt setting in a medium size A-frame cabin.
I work for a guitar company, surrounded by good guitarists all day. And yeah we see $2000-3000 acoustics all day, but we're all super impressed with the low end stuff too. It's all still handmade like the high end guitars, but just something about the quality of sound from the cheap pieces has us excited. We make a copy of a double cut Les Paul Jr. that EVERYONE wants, it's such a neat little guitar! Single Lollar P90, no-load tone circuit, and light as hell.
For the past 5 or so years any "serious" gigging that I do is with the L6 Helix - but for any quick "grab-n-go" type jams and such it's my Katana 50mkII. Plenty of great tones in a reasonably priced box. Btw I do not use Tone Studio, opting instead for the Katana Librarian app on Android. Works great.
Happy to see you have your Katana, man! I have an MKII 100 because of the send/return effects loop. I rarely use the Tone Studio because I have a lot of analog and digital pedals. Also, I would recommend getting a Boss GA-FC footswitch for easy switching from all the banks/patches you made from the Tone Studio.
Great video Mike! Check out the various modulation effects: the different styles with precise calibration through a laptop make this a bargain amp for studio work. The DC 30 is my favorite and you might like it based on your playing style.
I have the Katana 100 mk2 and Katana Artist Mk2 and a 1965 Fender Twin Reverb tube amp. The Fender is getting dusty, as the Katana sounds so good (after you dial it in through the Boss Studio). If you use 2 of them in stereo, you will bang your head in on the wall that you didn’t do that earlier.
I have the Katana head and it makes my shitty marshal cab from the 90s (it was the cheapest model then) sound fantastic. It does 7 string down tuned stuff well. It does e flat punk stuff well. Cleans. Dirties. Takes pedals like a champ. It's a killer unit.
IMO, the best tones are found using the Clean, dialing up some gain to edge of breakup, and adding Boosts (blues driver, etc.) to push it further. I'm not a huge fan of the default tones of the other channels. Using the clean channel and builtin effects and/or drive pedals in front is where it's at its best.
I use my Katana 50 mk1 at open mics. It's loud enough for the rooms we play in, sounds good and is light. The built in effects aren't bad either. I've often found myself writing songs with it and then using it for the scratch tracks. Good amps, worth the hype.
Haha true either the entry level stuff or the super boutique builders , no middle ground…the shop I worked in closed down last year you year got me thinking back on that place ….
This was a good video. This guy sounds a lot like Rhett Shull in the way he phrases things. I'm thinking if the Katana was a bad amp then, Yamaha Line 6 would not have copied it with their Catalyst amp. Hopefully he can teach us some ways to get some good sounds from the Katana in future videos.
The Catalyst is def made to compete with the Kat11.. I've only tried one in the shop...but they ain't bad soundwise, progress in digital is insane... especially touch dynamics.
is amazing how it can fit in the first 10 sec the like or not perception from a first time seen person...just like checking out an axe amp...lol, coincidence we had 5 guitars shops in Pigalle Paris in the 90's, and all they where talking about was the stock market...fortunately for the business I was an entusiastic guru...and master luthier, compensating for theirs lack of guitarist insanity...good riffs bro.
For me: dial it in on a small tube amp.. one of my best music days ever was when I decided to be rid of my digital effects processor and go tube and analog only. Can't be beat, IMO.. the digital dial in sounds are fun but the sound never gets that "dart to heart" pure tone I find in tube amps.. ..just my view and take on it.. tried out the Katana a few times also had Boss effects processor for years.. also heard pro musicians who use digital effects sometimes.. then it was "too perfect/something missing/radio/CD sound rather than live guitar sound. What precious time I get on guitar, I want the sound real and pure.. is my personal take and experience.. ..enjoyed the video, watched a few now, they're good.
I dont know about calling it a practice amp. it's the best of everything, keeps up with my 6505 and I'm very satisfied with the brown sound from the katana.
Nice runthrough and thoughts. The fact that the thing has an analog front end, and a couple different preamps to switch between makes this thing so solid. like you get that sae feeling of a non modeled amp for the most part and you can hit the front with different dirt pedals with so many good results. the tone exchange has some great profiles and I have two fender and two Marshall settings. Throw my swollen pickle in front and thats my jam rig when out and about.
I have the Katana 100 mk II and while it is amazing with all the pedals built in and the Tone Central software. I still ended up building a pedal board. To me it was easier and faster just leaning over and twisting knobs than having to mess with the computer to change parameters.
Probably sold this amp more than any other new amp while working in a music shop. Affordable, sounds huge and so many different sounds out of the box. This paired with a squier strat/tele and many kids began their guitar journey.
A great amp for every situation.I used it live and at practise in the Band I played for a while.My Bass player said I sounded like Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols.The Band broke up.Now I use it at home and it's still great fun thanks to the different Volume positions.No trouble with the neighbours.I have Mk50 II ex and I Play an Ibanez Artcore AM53 on it.This Amp is a treasure,and I love the light weight.
I have the MKII and use it all the time. My biggest complaint is the footswitch for this amp costs about 50% as much as the amp itself. They really need to come out with a more affordable option. I'm betting that most of the people who bought the Katana were attracted to the affordability of the amp. The 50 watt can be found for under $275, but the footswitch will cost you another $125 approximately. That really increases the price you have to pay to get a fully functioning amp. Other than that though, I don't have many complaints about this amp, it's a good one.
You said you like to experiment. I'm mostly a bedroom player. Katana is great. Then I got a Pod Go a few years later. . Then I got a clean and crunchy channel on the katana, and used the Pod Go for effects. I can play in the bedroom or a small club with no problem. A light rig that works.
I have a katana mk2 myself. My personal favourite setting is the clean channel with the variation switch in and putting gain to around 3/4. It responds really well to pedals and changes in volume from the picking hand
straight up i've been in the bars and restaurants 5 nites a week for the past 5 yrs. i own a jcm800, a jtm45, an sv20, and a katana. that katana gets played literally every gig, most of the time on 0.5 watts, and hahhaa you can always tell the other gtr players in the room that nite when they come up to you on break and say 'dude your TOAN' and then the shock when you say 'katana'
Love my Katanas. I have a 100w 1x12 combo mk1 and a 100w mk2 head. I love the mk2 so much more than the mk1. I always used the mk1 on the crunch setting set kinda clean and used pedals in front of it, but with the mk2, I am tempted to buy the ga-fc and gig it by itself
Had the Artist I for a couple years. Able to get great tones…sold it last year and picked up a GX-100 running thru a QSC. My back is thanking me every time!
I got the boss katana mk2 100w a couple months ago and it has been amazing. Definitely would recommend it to anyone. I just got a couple pedals so when I can't wait to hook those up to it and play.
When the katana came out I remember being super skeptical due it being the "new" thing to hype. But after a friend and I walked into the local shop and plugged into one with zero expectations, we were both pretty blown away. Now it's one of my main amps that I use; super versatile and really easy to dial in a very usable tone no matter what you're after!
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So true !
I think it helped that roland is behind it. These guys are superb.
Gonna turn into Marty now
Starts playing John Mayer...sudenly Tornado of Souls comes from nowhere.
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“Aaaaye everybody!”
fr
It’s all a journey we have to travel to start as a beginner more to intermediate become an advanced player get professional then the final form turn into Marty
Thanks for this… I bought two katana MKII 100s (for stereo) about a year ago. I’m 65 years old -played professionally most my life right out of high school-including a couple tours with Bob James and Kirk Welham…bla bla bla lol… I’m just completely blown away by the boss katana. It is a modern masterpiece.
Thanks for what? Coming in 3 years late to the hype train? 😅
I have fond memories of my Katana. Pretty good tones, very customizable, light but loud, definitely got the job done. Was perfect for my apartment and light jamming sessions back in the day
I sold it and went back to big tube heads ever since moving back to my own house but I’d definitely own one again if circumstances called for it.
I have two Katanas and owned three. I have a 50w and an Artist, both MKII. I sold my Artist MkI. I love these things and play them live often. I honestly don’t spend too much time on the Tone Studio, getting my desired tones almost always directly from the amp interface. I don’t have any external tone pedals (just a tuner, wireless and the Boss board). Parked a lot of amps and simplified my life with these. Great video
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My favorite Katana sound is a clean one with a touch of modulation, lots of reverb, and a bit of delay. Works really well with my jazzmaster’s rhythm circuit.
Same with my gretsch double Jet
Can confirm
Try getting a real rat pedal too. Sounds soooo sick on the clean channel with the jazzmaster
I do that with a schecter c-1. Sounds great
I don't think you can beat them for the money they cost, and the number Boss have sold since they brought out this amp tells it's own story. They hit pay-dirt with this little masterpiece. I'm a fan!
Pay-dirt 😂
I'm listening to UA-cam through my Boss Katana Air right now. I LOVE that I can just plug in and play along at any time just sittin' here at my desk. The built in effects are an excellent bonus. I love it so much that I just got the 100W HEAD to use on my 2x12! This should be fun :)
I purchased a Kantana 100MKII 2 weeks ago and it's one of my best buying decisions. The acoustic setting is warm and the sounds coming out of this amp are amazing and live up to the hype.
Katana 50 MkII user here. Great jazz amp. I’ve set up a channel with the Clean amp type, with the tone controls essentially flat. Works great with my carved spruce top archtop. I’m using it with the AirStep KAT, and I’ve configured three separate Booster effects for it. One is treble boost, the other two clean boost. The effects are subtle, as I want them. Just a bit more single line definition on one, and actually a drop in treble to make the sound darker on another. And then of course the Solo function can be used to kick each of them up a notch. I run the Volume knob up about 75%; this makes the sound full and rich.
Highly recommend the Katana Head. If you don’t plug in a cab, it has a small speaker built in for practice that sound great at low volumes ✌️
I have the Mk1 head and it sounds great through a 4 x12...
I agree , it sounds great at low volumes but TBE speaker is 12 inches. They don't get much bigger then that.
@@benallmark9671they are referring to the Katana Head which has a 5inch monitor speaker built in, it does not have the 12 inch speaker of the 50 and 100 because it is meant to go into a separate speaker cabinet. The 5 inch monitor speaker sounds great at low volumes.
Cool , I didn’t know that. Do all heads have small speakers like that or no ?
@@benallmark9671 both versions of the Katana head have the internal 5 inch speaker for practice. I don’t know if any other brand that has that .
awesome!
Since the Katana is entry/mid level priced AMP you should do a video of what guitar would go along well with it. Fairly priced but amazing sound!
Keep up the good work!
I like that first lick you played. It was really smooth and relaxing. Like a lullaby, in a good way.
“I never “insert different play style here” but here goes” is the beauty of the Katana
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As the second amp I've ever owned I can confirm the hype is real! I wish I had one of these when I first started learning guitar. Boss Tone Studio is also god-tier such a priceless feature! "A gamechanger" I completely agree Mike. For the price the amount of value you are getting is unreal.
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I bought a boss katana 50 mkii for practicing in my apartment. But the real selling point was the acoustic guitar amp mode. I needed an amp for my acoustic, and this thing sounds great for both acoustic and electric guitars.
I tried several acoustic amps against my Katana and the only one that beat it for authentic sounds was a Fishman Loudbox. Guitar was a custom Taylor.
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Dude, I’ve probably owned about 6 different amps my whole life and I just got the Katana and it has been *overall* my favorite amp. I have owned a couple of tube amps including a marshall and some modeling amps and I am blown away by this katana. It sounds pretty organic to me for a digital amp, the reverb is great and I love all the bells and whistles. I also have yet to fiddle with the online presents, however I’ll be doing that soon. I’m so glad I didn’t spend an arm and a leg for something that sounds pretty amazing for the price! My only critique so far is that the distortion isn’t as “hard” as I’d like it to be, however I am playing a standard tuning Fender Tele Player and Fender Pro 2 Strat. That’s one of the reasons why I want to fiddle with the online customization and see if I can get some pretty hard distortion for some metal playing and trying my buddies Ibanez.
It takes pedals well, so you could just put a good distortion pedal in front of it.
Check out the tone studio! You can push all kinds of distortion. Trust me you can push it to the max and then some.
@@kenjihobbs2942 How do I go to their tone studio??
I've been using a Katana 50 v1 for quite a while now (4-5 yrs maybe). It's plenty loud and takes pedals really well. I rarely use the drive settings (crunch, lead and brown) and have used numerous drive and distortion pedals to get that kind of sound. For an amp in that price range, it's the one to get, especially if you are on a budget.
Absolutely enjoyed your take on the amp , looking forward to your posts from now on 🎸
I bought mine in 2018 and still can't get over how awesome it is. They really nailed the feel of a tube amp
I have a Boss Katana MK II 100 watt. I gigged with it last week. Definitely got the job done. I don't get too overloaded with settings. I downloaded a nice warm rich clean, A crunchy tone for rhythm and a distorted tone for some leads from the Boss Tone Central. That's all I really need. It way loud enough enough and the stock speaker is based on the Celestion Greenback. It's a fabulous amp. You can't go wrong with it.
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I remember when this came out. I was skeptical, especially because the only other amps like this at the time were like Line 6 Spiders (which we all remember those). Like they weren't bad amps, but they weren't made especially well. That was the, and still is, one of my top criteria for amps. The quality of construction and materials make a huge difference for me. The Katana proceeded to blow away my expectations.
Appreciate the shoutout! You made the amp sound really good. My personal preference for lead tones is to use the clean or crunch amp with the Blues Driver (I believe that's the red button for the booster) or the DS-1 (orange button), rather than using the higher gain amp models. Also, I prefer pretty much all the amps with the variation switch on. Regardless, though, the number of great tones in here is absurd - especially for the money
Similarly, I like to do a "dirty clean" by boosting into the cleaner channels. It adds a nice bit of saturation and smooths out peaks and dips
Your comment highlights one of it's weaknesses - I can't remember what the settings are on mine either lol but it does sound flippin great when you've dialed it in right
The red button for the booster is SD-1 I believe and Blues Driver is green
Just picked one of these up a couple weeks ago. Quite impressed, I’ve got a couple different tube amps that aren’t getting used like they used to. Just feels more simple to use. Great vid!
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As an old guy, I like the Katana because it is smaller, fairly light, and puts out a decent amount of power. Oddly, I rarely play it at home where a use lower wattage tube amps and a stupidly large array of pedals.
I've got the 50 watt model and I got it when they first came out. To me it's jack of all trades that I use if I play out or (more often) in church every week. I find it a bit sterile and I find the the effects sectiion a bit limiting. However, it does pack condiderable punch which makes it a great grab and go amp.
I have a first issue 50w 1x12" combo. I use it for all gigs and with a footswitch, I can get four distinct, useable channels that my sound guy just loves out front. A 57 mic and I'm set! The tone and feel are great and the fact it weighs a small fraction of the stuff I used prior is a real cool plus. I was going to change out the speaker but changed my mind. The stock one is killing.The key to loving the Katana is as simple as hooking up to your computer and getting busy with Tone Studio. All the answers are in there and after setting up your channels, hook up the proper footswitch for your model and start melting faces. Everything from jazz to country to pop and hard rock are easily doable. My other guitarist picked up the 2x12" 100w combo and says his metal tone is sick! I believe him. Enjoyed the video! Rock On!
I owned a katana for a minute. I was initially blown away by the versatility/features for the price, and at lower volumes, the stock tones didn’t sound too bad.
Over time though, I became frustrated with the (imo) flaws of this amp, namely the EQ. I found that if I set the EQ to eliminate harshness from the drive sounds, the cleans were dull and muddy. If I set up a brighter clean sound, the crunch/lead modes sounded shrill and unpleasant.
So, my experience with the amp added up to a bunch of fiddling with EQ knobs and messing with the tone studio to get the sounds I wanted.
This eventually got too frustrating, especially compared to the effortlessly good sounds I achieved plugging into my Bugera V22, or even my little 90s Fender frontman, let alone my more expensive Mesa Boogie.
YMMV, of course, and I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but for my needs, the katana really didn’t cut it, which is a shame, because the built in effects, attenuator, size and weight were all major benefits.
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I 've been playing guitar since I was 13. At 15 I was in a band and working clubs and all I wanted was a 100watt Marshall with two 4x12 cabinets - I ached for one - but the price - about 360 pounds then - was unreachable. Now I am 67, I can afford one, but wouldn't be able to carry it around and I'm not famous enough to have a roadie. I went through the Marshall combo experience - first the solid state, then the valves , but these could not be clean enough for some of the music I was playing - the answer was a Blackstar HT60 - which could go from acoustic glass clean to AC/DC - but - with two 12" speakers - was a bit hard on my hernia so it went and I played through the PA for a while. But I missed standing in front of an amp - so I bought a Katana 50 - best amp I've ever owned - all the tones I need, plus the programmability of it make it special. I had to modify the headphone socket to get a DI from it , but that little feller is a big beast in a tiny box and worth every penny paid for it.
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i have the 100 mkII. i actually got feedback, nice harmonic feedback not screeching, out of the thing. i've never heard that from a digital amp before. cool.
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Bought mine a couple monts ago (100 MkII). And its fantastic! For the price, unbeatable. BTW I love your playing.
I got the first katana 50 almost a year ago and love it , finally hooked up the boss tone studio app and good lord I had no clue!!! You can totally change all the parameters on the amp and write them in!!
how do you connect it?
i also have the Katana and it's freakin awesome, love the Vox tones you can get from it
I am envious you found guitar so young. I am 46 and just started playing. But I am definitely hooked now.
I have a first generation Katana head and yeah, it’s pretty great! I have the four switches set up to simulate the channels of my hugging Marshall JVM 410 head and am quite happy with it to get the same footswitch practice when rehearsing songs at home
I'm on my third Kat. Started with the 100 mkII, sold it, kicked myself, then got an Artist in trade for a guitar I made. Sold that, kicked myself again because I thought I'd stay with the Boss GX100, also a great device, but missed that Kat. Now selling the GX100 and sticking to a Katana MKII Head and the GAFC-EX foot switch and an expression pedal as my main rig. Simple and sounds fantastic.
That’s actually a really great sounding amp. That Les Paul Tribute sounds really great through it. I’ve no need for one, but I’m a sucker for a maple necked Les Paul.
I bought my MK2 100 when they first became available. I'm completely incapable of loading the tone studio so I can't do updates or load any of the cool effects that are available, instead I run a small pedal board in front of mine. I have an Echo Sex delay and a line 6 Verbzilla that go into the effects loop. A Keeley 4 knob compressor, Wampler Equator eq and an EH Soul Food go into the front of the amp. I must say, it sounds exceptional and (feels) great to play. I'd put my tones up against (almost) anything. I like the light weight and compactness of the amp. It has also has allowed me to get rid of a few amps I had taking up space (some of them tube amps.) FYI, I never got the right feel out of the amp until I ran the external compressor. it's the first thing I plug into. Amazingly, most all products these days sound amazing as there is no room for or excuse for inferior tones or products. Digital has really improved to a point I would have though impossible not long ago. I really enjoyed the video.
For my small, portable, versatile, rig I'm using an old EV-5 expression pedal and HX Effects + Catalyst 100 in 4CM and MIDI to change the amp channels and turn the amp channel boost on/off. Works great. Cost under $1K new, with discounts.
The HX Effects works great in front or in the loop of my Marshall Origin 50C, another compact rig...but I prefer the 50C without pedals (except an occasional EQ pedal).
I recently got a Fender Mustang GTX 100, I used to be a tube amp purist (I've owned vintage Fenders and Magnatones, no Marshalls) but with the different amps, the effects, no cables or power supply for pedals, less noise from the signal chain, this thing does a pretty good job. And I can control it with my phone. I would rather have a $10,000 rig but that's not in the cards, and this is really easy on the back (try lugging a Fender Twin with JBLs around) and mostly I use clean tones anyway so, yeah, I recommend it. And the footswitch is great, seven buttons, very well designed. For $500, you can't go wrong.
I LOVED my Katana100 MKI, but I am glad I got rid of it...and got the KATANA ARTIST MKII. The Waza Craft speaker makes ALL the difference in what was already a fantastic amp. The Waza speaker is like a 100 watt version of the 30w greenbacks and the depth and tight low mids and bass it provides is a real game changer. I rarely turn my tube amps on now!
Love my 50s. I have the 50 MkI and the 50 MkII connected via Radial Big Shot ABY for wet/dry glory and it’s awesome.
Great video! I almost purchased one of these but I ended up getting a line 6 Catalyst which is an amazing amp as well :)
honestly I think the catalyst sounds significantly better than the katana. Whenever I have to plug into a katana at a guitar store I’ve never enjoyed the sound, but I plugged into a catalyst once and actually really liked it tbh!
@@johnevered9640 with all the different guitars I have, I find that the catalyst brings them to life in their unique ways if that makes sense. My main practice amp is the Spark 40 and I pretty much use the same 4 tones for whichever guitar I feel like playing at that time and it's.. fun for sure but, the Catalyst, it's like it brings the guitars to life in the way they were meant to be played and how they should sound.
Great review. I was a hard core Deluxe reverb guy. Got a Katana 50 for home. Skip to today, sold my deluxe reverbs (prices were crazy) use my Katana at many gigs now and not regretting it. Now I won't say it sounds just as good but no one at my gig can tell except maybe me and the gear nerd in the corner.
I own the MKII head, and it's nothing short of incredible. Loud AF and sounds great. Get an Xsonic airstep footswitch and you can throw away (sell) the rest of your rig. It's just fantastic.
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I love owning this amp, plus I grabbed a Tone pack from a talented tone creator a couple years ago. Endless practice fun for my room. Also not sure if you tried the variation button just above the amp type selector, I prefer it on with some of the choices. Brings some of them to life. Happy New Year Mike.
At first it sounded like a Guitar Center tryout. But it got better after you hopped on to the Les Paul. Congrats !
thank you Mike!! - really useful/helpful and focused on the points/areas that really matter👍👍
I've had the Katana 100 MkII head with 2x12 cab for about 3 years and I am still blown away with the tones I am able to pull out of this thing. There's also FB groups and many other resources to get patches to download that people have created to get very specific tones like Van Halen '78, various Metallica tones, clean tones for Pink Floyd etc. Overall it's an insanely fantastic amp that I can see me owning for years to come.
What’s the group called?
The tone studio download was maddening for me too. Lots of people complain about it. They should maybe address that because once you get it going, it's dope. I use a Nextone but it's similar in software madness.
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The katana is my backup amp for gigs if my valve amp goes down just plug straight in and it’ll get me through. For a home amp there’s not much better especially for the money, my guitar teacher pretty much tells all his new learners to get a Pacifica and a katana 100, even when you get new better gear both will still be useable
When I got back into playing electric after a couple years I had to buy new gear and the Katana was what I bought for an amp and I have not upgraded. I'm just a hobbyist, but it does everything I need it to do. Great amp
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I started off on a Vox VT120+, adored it - but wanted something a bit cleaner sound-wise.
Ended up with a Vox AC15 - loved it but was too loud for my family home (they didn't appreciate me talking about "the sweet spot" while the windows were shaking)
Boss Katana 100mk2 = PERFECTION. Bonus points it's always plugged into my PC right next to the Amp.
Nothing against tubes, they are great for different reasons. I can rock this at 100w 50w or .5w - can change the master lvl up to rock with drums or down to chill at midnight.
For anyone on the fence, if you have access to a PC for the tone studio (not needed, but it makes the amp so great) -- get this amp and you won't regret it.
Very good demo. I am looking for small amp with effects for mostly home. I was going to cheap out with Fender Champion 20 but for another 100 bucks the Katana is so much more (25/50 watt and 12”speaker alone) and small gig worthy.
I thought they were overrated at first but I tried one at a guitar center and it changed my mind. Now I have the head and matching 2x12! Sounds awesome and super reliable and easy to use!
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Nice playing. I was too senile to figure out all the little buttons on the Boss Katana but I know people who make them sound amazing. I think you’d need to mic it through a PA to use it in a big room
Thats why the 100watt versions can be linked together for stereo ambience. I have two 212s and have no problem blasting peoples heads off, even on the .5 watt setting in a medium size A-frame cabin.
I just brought one the other day..and I love it.. highly recommend..🤙🤟
I work for a guitar company, surrounded by good guitarists all day. And yeah we see $2000-3000 acoustics all day, but we're all super impressed with the low end stuff too. It's all still handmade like the high end guitars, but just something about the quality of sound from the cheap pieces has us excited. We make a copy of a double cut Les Paul Jr. that EVERYONE wants, it's such a neat little guitar! Single Lollar P90, no-load tone circuit, and light as hell.
Can u leave a link? I absolutely love double cut Juniors!
For the past 5 or so years any "serious" gigging that I do is with the L6 Helix - but for any quick "grab-n-go" type jams and such it's my Katana 50mkII. Plenty of great tones in a reasonably priced box. Btw I do not use Tone Studio, opting instead for the Katana Librarian app on Android. Works great.
Happy to see you have your Katana, man! I have an MKII 100 because of the send/return effects loop. I rarely use the Tone Studio because I have a lot of analog and digital pedals.
Also, I would recommend getting a Boss GA-FC footswitch for easy switching from all the banks/patches you made from the Tone Studio.
Great video Mike! Check out the various modulation effects: the different styles with precise calibration through a laptop make this a bargain amp for studio work. The DC 30 is my favorite and you might like it based on your playing style.
I have the Katana 100 mk2 and Katana Artist Mk2 and a 1965 Fender Twin Reverb tube amp. The Fender is getting dusty, as the Katana sounds so good (after you dial it in through the Boss Studio). If you use 2 of them in stereo, you will bang your head in on the wall that you didn’t do that earlier.
After hearing about them for a year or 2 I just bought the 100w MK2. Its really great and easily loud enough to gig with.
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I have the Katana head and it makes my shitty marshal cab from the 90s (it was the cheapest model then) sound fantastic. It does 7 string down tuned stuff well. It does e flat punk stuff well. Cleans. Dirties. Takes pedals like a champ. It's a killer unit.
The Katana is my new favorite amp. I quickly sold my Fender Blues Jr after getting the katana!
I hated everything about my Kat50. Never been so glad to get rid of an amp.
IMO, the best tones are found using the Clean, dialing up some gain to edge of breakup, and adding Boosts (blues driver, etc.) to push it further. I'm not a huge fan of the default tones of the other channels. Using the clean channel and builtin effects and/or drive pedals in front is where it's at its best.
I have a Katana 2-12 amp. The original version. I would not ever get rid of this amp. Love it.
I use my Katana 50 mk1 at open mics. It's loud enough for the rooms we play in, sounds good and is light. The built in effects aren't bad either. I've often found myself writing songs with it and then using it for the scratch tracks. Good amps, worth the hype.
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Haha true either the entry level stuff or the super boutique builders , no middle ground…the shop I worked in closed down last year you year got me thinking back on that place ….
This was a good video. This guy sounds a lot like Rhett Shull in the way he phrases things. I'm thinking if the Katana was a bad amp then, Yamaha Line 6 would not have copied it with their Catalyst amp. Hopefully he can teach us some ways to get some good sounds from the Katana in future videos.
The Catalyst is def made to compete with the Kat11..
I've only tried one in the shop...but they ain't bad soundwise, progress in digital is insane... especially touch dynamics.
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Thanks for the review. I’ve had mine for 2 years and still haven’t messed with the computer software. This makes me want to.
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is amazing how it can fit in the first 10 sec the like or not perception from a first time seen person...just like checking out an axe amp...lol, coincidence we had 5 guitars shops in Pigalle Paris in the 90's, and all they where talking about was the stock market...fortunately for the business I was an entusiastic guru...and master luthier, compensating for theirs lack of guitarist insanity...good riffs bro.
For me: dial it in on a small tube amp.. one of my best music days ever was when I decided to be rid of my digital effects processor and go tube and analog only. Can't be beat, IMO.. the digital dial in sounds are fun but the sound never gets that "dart to heart" pure tone I find in tube amps.. ..just my view and take on it.. tried out the Katana a few times also had Boss effects processor for years.. also heard pro musicians who use digital effects sometimes.. then it was "too perfect/something missing/radio/CD sound rather than live guitar sound. What precious time I get on guitar, I want the sound real and pure.. is my personal take and experience.. ..enjoyed the video, watched a few now, they're good.
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I dont know about calling it a practice amp. it's the best of everything, keeps up with my 6505 and I'm very satisfied with the brown sound from the katana.
I love my Katana. Don’t forget about the librarian and premade patches. I don’t think I’ve used the actual amp sounds in forever.
Massive fan of these! I too was sceptical! Now own amp head and the 100w mk2 100 with speaker! Blown away!
Great Topic! I feel like every pop/rock guitarist has a relationship with the Katana.
Nice runthrough and thoughts. The fact that the thing has an analog front end, and a couple different preamps to switch between makes this thing so solid. like you get that sae feeling of a non modeled amp for the most part and you can hit the front with different dirt pedals with so many good results. the tone exchange has some great profiles and I have two fender and two Marshall settings. Throw my swollen pickle in front and thats my jam rig when out and about.
I have the Katana mini. Such a small battery powered awesome amp 👌 perfect
Excellent review Mike!! I like that you really play!!! I've got a MKII 100 watt and I gig with it! They're great little amps!!!
Go to the booster settings....scroll down and apply the marshall guvnor style booster. Fantastic sound
I have the Katana 100 mk II and while it is amazing with all the pedals built in and the Tone Central software. I still ended up building a pedal board. To me it was easier and faster just leaning over and twisting knobs than having to mess with the computer to change parameters.
This is exactly how I use mine…old school, but I am old! LOL
@@danstringer7610 I am old too
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Your channel is growing fast man
Probably sold this amp more than any other new amp while working in a music shop. Affordable, sounds huge and so many different sounds out of the box. This paired with a squier strat/tele and many kids began their guitar journey.
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A great amp for every situation.I used it live and at practise in the Band I played for a while.My Bass player said I sounded like Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols.The Band broke up.Now I use it at home and it's still great fun thanks to the different Volume positions.No trouble with the neighbours.I have Mk50 II ex and I Play an Ibanez Artcore AM53 on it.This Amp is a treasure,and I love the light weight.
I have the MKII and use it all the time. My biggest complaint is the footswitch for this amp costs about 50% as much as the amp itself. They really need to come out with a more affordable option. I'm betting that most of the people who bought the Katana were attracted to the affordability of the amp. The 50 watt can be found for under $275, but the footswitch will cost you another $125 approximately. That really increases the price you have to pay to get a fully functioning amp. Other than that though, I don't have many complaints about this amp, it's a good one.
My 50w will b getting to a yr.old, & as u said, I still can’t provide a ft.sw.! Poor, hard life here in Philippines, much as nowadays 😒
I love my MK2 Katana. I keep it in my office, with my Epiphone Les Paul and just crank it up whenever I need a break.
Great video! Thank you!
You said you like to experiment. I'm mostly a bedroom player. Katana is great. Then I got a Pod Go a few years later. . Then I got a clean and crunchy channel on the katana, and used the Pod Go for effects. I can play in the bedroom or a small club with no problem. A light rig that works.
I've Had My Boss Katana For About 4 Months Now And It My Perfect Amp.
I have a katana mk2 myself. My personal favourite setting is the clean channel with the variation switch in and putting gain to around 3/4. It responds really well to pedals and changes in volume from the picking hand
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straight up i've been in the bars and restaurants 5 nites a week for the past 5 yrs. i own a jcm800, a jtm45, an sv20, and a katana. that katana gets played literally every gig, most of the time on 0.5 watts, and hahhaa you can always tell the other gtr players in the room that nite when they come up to you on break and say 'dude your TOAN' and then the shock when you say 'katana'
I got one for my grandson for Christmas this year - it's a very impressive amp.
I picked one up used and the driver update was also the problem. Thank God for UA-cam videos. Sounds really good though.
Love my Katanas. I have a 100w 1x12 combo mk1 and a 100w mk2 head. I love the mk2 so much more than the mk1. I always used the mk1 on the crunch setting set kinda clean and used pedals in front of it, but with the mk2, I am tempted to buy the ga-fc and gig it by itself
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Had the Artist I for a couple years. Able to get great tones…sold it last year and picked up a GX-100 running thru a QSC. My back is thanking me every time!
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your joy for the guitar is infectious
Man, loading it up with Fender tones as 'pedal platforms' and then experimenting with the effects is enough to keep a body busy for LONG time.
had a Katana artist mk2 head with wazacraft 2x12 cab, love it
I got the boss katana mk2 100w a couple months ago and it has been amazing. Definitely would recommend it to anyone.
I just got a couple pedals so when I can't wait to hook those up to it and play.
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